Beyond the Horizon
by Sunkissed Pages
Summary: Katniss Everdeen was the apple of her father's eye, he had never loved something or someone as much as he loved her. Their relationship was something to behold, nothing could break their bond. Not an absentee mother, coming back in search for a relationship. Not a jealous half-sister. And especially not a strong, broad boy from New York, who had eyes that were as blue as the ocean
1. Prologue

**Hi guys, I haven't posted a story in about a year and a half (?), so please be kind! My writing is kinda shotty because I haven't had the time to write anything for ages, so I decided to go back to who I know and love best: Everlark, my original OTP.**

 **I actually had a dream when I fell asleep watching Lilo and Stitch, which pretty much formed the basis to this story... I am not Hawaiian, but I do love the place dearly. So if there are Hawaiian readers, please feel free to correct me on any mistakes that I make regarding the culture.**

 **I'm just going to post this one chapter and then I'm going to see the response it garners, and then we'll go from there.**

 **Happy Reading!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Lily Bay, a twenty-four-year-old medicine student was about to die.

She was standing in the surf, in awe of her lush surroundings that were so different from the city of skyscrapers she was used to. The wave had struck her out of nowhere, pushing her to the bottom of the ocean floor. Wave after wave crashed over Lily's head, making it hard for her to break the surface of the water.

Lily was not a strong swimmer, growing up in the hustle and bustle of New York, her experiences with swimming was limited to family holidays to the quiet beaches of Florida maybe once or twice every few years. Finally, Lily broke the surface, gasping in as much air as possible, silently thanking her parents for forcing her into swimming lessons as a child. She starts towards shore where she can see her two best friends lounging lazily in the sun. Just as she starts to make progress, another wave drags her under, once again trapping her in the confines of the sea.

Lily struggled and struggled, trying to get her feet under her and using her arms to propel herself up, but to no avail. This time she was screwed. Her body was tired from all the struggling and kicking. She was going to die.

 _She was going to die._

Tears leaked out of Lily's eyes as the capacity of the situation finally hit her. _She was going to die._

Her mouth opened screaming hysterically causing a rush of bubbles to whoosh out of her. _She was going to die._

Lily's vision started to blur. _She was going to die._

Water began to fill her lungs. _She was going to die._

Lily's arms and legs stopped thrashing.

Everything went still. Her body began its descent to the bottom of the ocean floor, her wavering vision tracking the bubbles that floated from her body to the surface above and the sunlight that filtered through the deadly white wash illuminating the magnificence of the ocean.

 _Beautiful_.

The word filtered through Lily's mind as the darkness surrounding the edges of her vision finally consumed her.

There was no white light. No flashes of memories, good or bad. No angels singing. Just the sound of the ocean as it crashed steadily on the shore.

There was a pounding in her chest, in her head. Lily could hear someone crying. Or were there two people crying?

Her body was heavy. She couldn't move, but as the pounding in her chest became more consistent and harder, Lily couldn't fight the nausea that was rising. She choked and coughed, water pouring from her mouth and landing on the white sand she laid on. She blinked open her eyes slowly, gasping for breath as she did so.

The first thing Lily registered was the hysterical crying coming from somewhere behind her. The second was the blue sky and the rays of sunlight warming her skin. And finally, the broad, sculpted chest that took up most of her vision.

Lily's eyes trailed over washboard abs and firm pecks, her mind marvelling at the golden, sun kissed skin. Her cheeks heated.

A rumble of a laugh sounded and the body in front of her shook. Lily's eyes snapped up to the face of the most gorgeous man she has ever seen. His smile was blindingly white, his jaw was clean and sharp, his hair hung over his forehead and into his eye. Oh, _his eyes_. Lily's mind went blank as she studied the swirling storm of brown, green, and… silver?

 _He must have saved me_ Lily mused as her eyes travelled over the length of the man once again. But her eyes froze as she heard the rumble of his laugh again.

A moment passed. The man laughed a little bit harder, smiling down at her with such mirth and happiness in his eyes. The awkwardness of the situation brought Lily to her senses, and she tried to speak.

"I-I uhh, umm-" Her voice was weak and her mind was at a loss for words. Lily finally settled on a murmured "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you," Her saviour said, humour lacing his words. "It's not every day that I get to save a pretty girl."

Lily snorts at this, rolling her eyes. "Smooth. But seriously, thank you. I thought… I th-thought that I d-" the word gets caught in her throat and she swallows trying again, "died. I thought that I had died."

The man smiles down at her, it's pitying, but she doesn't mind. He holds out a hand for her to take, which she accepts gently. Lily is pulled into a sitting position, and immediately her two best friends swarm her. Questions of " _Are you okay? Do you need some water? Do I need to call an ambulance?"_ bombard her ears as her friends hold her tightly against them, Lily just shakes her head 'no' in answer. The whole time her eyes stay riveted to her saviour, kneeling in the sand across from her, an odd look on his face.

"Well, I best be going," Her saviour declares, rising from his spot in the sand.

"Wait!" Lily bursts, cutting off the ramblings of her friends and capturing the attention of the man in front of her. "What's your name?"

The man smiles, and with the sun at his back and the ocean surrounding them, Lily thinks it's just about the most beautiful sight she's ever seen.

"Kalani. Kalani Everdeen," Kalani pauses for a second, taking in Lily with her 'I-almost-drowned' glory. "Welcome to Hawaii."


	2. Chapter 1

**Thank you all for the lovely feedback! And as promised, here's Chapter 1! I'm enjoying writing this story, and hope all of you love it as much as I do. I was thinking about maybe weekly updates? How does every Thursday sound?**

 **This chapter has only** _ **a little bit**_ **of a plot, but it's mainly just establishing all of Katniss' relationships with other characters. So, if it gets a little bit boring, I understand. The next chapter will kinda be the same, maybe…**

 **BUT, if you don't get too bored by the end of this chapter, you'll get to meet (not officially) our favourite blue-eyed, blonde-haired boy ;)**

* * *

Katniss Everdeen was the apple of her father's eye. He had never loved something or _someone_ as much as he loved her. The two were inseparable, always out and about together climbing trees, swimming, exploring, singing, and dancing. Their relationship was something to behold, it was stronger than any other that Kalani had come to know.

It was hard for him to watch Katniss grow up from a stubborn little girl into the beautiful woman she was today, especially since half the men in Hawaii were vying for her attention. But overall, Kalani was proud of the woman that she had become.

Katniss was a kind, generous, and compassionate person, always putting the needs of others above her own. She dedicated her weekends to teaching dance and music at the local recreation centre, along with archery and swimming lessons. When she was not at school, she was found at the beach surfing the giant waves, floating on her back in the water, or sitting on the sand staring beyond the horizon. Katniss was also insanely studious, always getting top marks in most of her subjects, it helped that she was an undiscovered genius.

Kalani Everdeen had never loved someone as much as he loved his daughter, and for Katniss, it was the same. Her father was her rock; the person she could go to about anything. He joked with her and played pranks on her, was always willing to go for a surf, and would hold her when she cried. It also helped that he had the most beautiful singing voice in the world, a trait that Katniss was very happy to have inherited.

She would do anything for him, and she hated it when she disappointed him. A sadness would cloud his eyes whenever she did so, reminding her of the early years of her childhood when she would catch him staring out their kitchen window and to the beach beyond.

It reminded her too much of when her mother left.

Four years in Hawaii and one baby later, Lily Bay was sick of this "claustrophobic island" (which was rich considering she came from one of the most claustrophobic cities in the world) and when given an ultimatum, to either stay in Hawaii with her fiancé and two-year-old daughter or to leave for New York and never came back, Lily surprisingly chose the latter.

Katniss would hold no resentment towards her mother if it were not for the fact that she left in the middle of the night, with no goodbye, no apology, and no proper explanation. The only thing she left behind was a note that read _"I can't do this anymore. I love you both. Lots of love, your Lily xox"_.

Katniss doesn't know what happened to the note, the last time she saw it she was ten and going through the draws in her dad's work room to find some wax for her surf board. She nearly ripped it to shreds right then and there, but thought of her father's sad eyes and chose not to.

Katniss pushed everything she knew about her mother to the back of her mind, not allowing it to ever dampen her emotions. Over the years, Katniss noticed her father doing the same. So, when she was eleven, and her father married her dance teacher Portia, Katniss had never felt happier. She was getting a little sister named Rue, a bigger house closer to the beach, and she could practice her dancing at home with Portia!

Katniss wore a stunning traditional Hawaiian dress to the wedding, her dark hair unbound and flowing past her waist, and a floral crown adorning her head. She danced with her new, albeit, slightly larger family, ate copious amounts of food, and sang to the stars in thanks to her lucky life.

The grey cloud that was her mother didn't hang over her head, in actuality, Lily Bay didn't even cross her daughter's mind since that day Katniss had found the note.

* * *

Katniss was humming. Not an uncommon occurrence, but she was in class, so to say it pissed her teacher off was an understatement.

"Katniss, please, for the love of all things holy. _Stop_." Katniss stopped mid hum as she looked up into the eyes of her chemistry teacher, Mr. Latier.

"Sorry Sir," Katniss mumbled as she sank lower in her seat, embarrassed that she was caught mid-daydream and apparently mid-song. The class chuckled around her, not to make fun of her, but due to the fact that Mr. Latier was probably the only person in their little seaside town that found Katniss' singing or even humming annoying.

Madge, Katniss' best friend, squeezed Katniss' forearm with a light-hearted smile and laughter in her eyes, to which Katniss rolled her own. But Katniss' gaze was once again drawn to the window, her mind once again drifting to thoughts of _her_ beach, that she knew was only a five-minute skateboard away.

Madge smiled at her friend fondly, knowing exactly what Katniss was thinking. It didn't matter if Katniss missed what Mr. Latier was saying, she probably understood it better than he did anyways. It was this thought that caused Madge to shake her head good-naturedly and turn her attention back to her work, it would take Madge hours of study to comprehend the things that Katniss could understand in a heartbeat.

Madge and Katniss had met at the recreation centre when they were five. Three years after Katniss' mother had left.

It was Madge's first dancing lesson, but Katniss had already been doing lessons for two years and was easily the best in the class. Half way through the lesson – when it became appallingly apparent that Madge couldn't dance to save her life – Katniss adopted her as her friend, not because she felt sorry for the poor girl, but because Katniss and Madge had the same love for music. So, from then on Madge went to with Katniss to the dancing lessons, not to dance, but to learn the piano from Mr. Cinna as he played for Ms. Portia and her dance class.

Madge and Katniss had been through hell and back together. They unloaded all their struggles onto one another, but they never judged the other for mistakes they had made. Katniss confided in Madge about her animosity towards her runaway mother, and Madge told Katniss about the struggles of having to be 'the perfect child' for her overbearing parents.

It was the perfect friendship. But Madge wanted something more.

* * *

"Beach this afternoon?" Madge asked hopefully, tugging the straps of her backpack so it rose higher on her back.

"I can't," Katniss replied. "I've got to teach archery tonight at the rec centre, remember? I swapped my Friday with Gale so I could work Tuesdays, and then my Friday afternoons would be free to spend with you!" She turned to her blonde-haired friend and smiled toothily.

Madge tucked a strand of her behind her ear, ducking her head to hide her blush and small smile. "Yeah, I remember."

Katniss stuffed the rest of her books in her bag before grabbing her skateboard and smiling at Madge. "I gotta' go, but I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah! You're singing tonight, aren't you?" Madge called as Katniss jogged away.

"Of course, but only if you're playing! I only sing with my bestie," Katniss said over her shoulder, sending a wink Madge's way. But Madge knew that wasn't true, Katniss would sing with just about anyone if they could play a musical instrument or hold a tune. Either way, Madge still enjoyed the sentiment.

The smile on Madge's face faded into a grimace as she regarded her feelings for her 'best friend'.

"Oh, I am completely and utterly screwed," She mumbled, before thumping her head against Katniss' locker and making her way to her car.

She hadn't told anybody about her feeling towards girls, or even her aversion towards the opposite sex. But one thing was clear, Katniss could never know Madge's feelings for her. She's just so oblivious to people's… romantic feelings towards herself. She wouldn't understand. Hell, not even Madge understood her own feelings.

"What am I going to do?" Madge whispered to herself, gripping her steering wheel in front of her and gently leaning back into her seat.

* * *

"Dad, I'm home!" Katniss called, coming through her front door. "Dad?"

"In here, Kat!" A muffled voice called back. Katniss followed the voice through the living room and kitchen to her dad's 'work-shop' (it's really just the basement) down stairs.

"What'chya workin' on?" Katniss said, hopping up onto the stool next to her father's work bench.

"I'm just fixing up the O'Dair's kid surf board," Kalani responded with his tongue poking out the side of his mouth in concentration, another trait that Katniss inherited from him.

"Finnick? He wrecked it again?" Katniss snorted.

"Yup," Kalani sat back in his chair and looked up at his daughter. "I don't know how he does it… Every couple weeks it's something new. A broken fin, a dent here, a dent there… it's killing me." Kalani fixed the glasses on his face so they wouldn't slide down his nose, and tied back his greying, shoulder length hair.

"Mom here?" Katniss swung her legs underneath her.

"She's at the rec centre already," Kalani said tidying up his mess.

"Rue?"

"She's already there too, caught a ride with Portia."

"Crap, I was hoping she'd take me too…" Katniss mumbled.

"Hey, I can take you kiddo," Kalani smiled up at Katniss. "Just give me five minutes to clean up, okay?"

"Thanks dad, you're the best," Katniss smiled warmly at her dad while hopping from her stool and making her way up the stairs.

Kalani shared a secret smile with himself, thinking about the stunning woman that Katniss was becoming. He was always told as she was growing up that she looked just like him, which was something that he prided himself in immensely. The wavy dark hair, the golden-sun-kissed skin, and her swirling silver eyes – which Kalani didn't know where she got from because neither he or her mother had them.

But as she got older and her features started to develop into those of a woman… she began to look more like her mother. High, rosy cheekbones replaced her chip-monk cheeks, her nose developed to be slender and pert, and her lips became fuller.

Kalani sighed at the thought of Lily. He shook his head to try get rid of her, but it was like her image was seared into the back of his mind.

Kalani wiped his hands and followed Katniss up the stairs. Filling his mind with memories of his gorgeous little family to push the blonde beauty out of his thoughts.

* * *

The car door slammed behind Katniss and she made her way up the steps of the rec centre with Kalani following behind her. She passed room after room, spying in at all the different classes. Karate, in-door foot-ball, basketball, and on, and on. Finally, she came across a door with a sign that read: Ms. Portia's Hula Class, decorated with sloppy finger-painted flowers and colourful handprints. Katniss pushed the door open with her shoulder and allowed her dad to enter through before she followed.

At the front of the room a tall, green-eyed, mocha-skinned woman was acting out basic Hula steps to a crowd of three and four year olds.

"Okay everybody, knees bent… C'mon Maya, a little bit lower… Good girl. Now time for hips, ready?" A chorus of youthful 'yeses' and enthusiastic nods answered her. "Okay, let's go! Right hip up – no Riley, your other hip. There you go. Make sure to keep your feet on the floor! Right hip down, and left hip up…"

"She's a great teacher," Kalani whispered to Katniss as he caught the teacher's eye.

"Yeah, she is," Katniss responded fondly.

"Okay class, I think it's time for a water break! What do you think?" Portia's green eyes crinkled when the kids squealed back in affirmation.

Katniss made her way to the front of the room as the children rushed past her. "Hi mom," She said as she embraced Portia.

"Hi darling, I haven't seen you since last night. You were at the beach before I even woke up!" She laughed as she squeezed Katniss tight.

"Honey, you're going to squeeze the life out of her," Kalani said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, she doesn't mind. Do you sugar?" Portia replied.

Katniss laughed, "No, not at all. Where's Rue?"

"She's out back," Portia nodded to the door behind her. "Getting all the costumes ready for the Summer Play."

Katniss nodded before leaving the tight embrace and heading towards said door. She turned back just in time for her dad to leave a tender kiss on Portia's lips, with a chorus of "ewwww's" coming from the corner of children. Katniss' shoulders shook with a barely contained laugh as she continued to the back room.

Rue was digging up old costumes and sorting them into bundles, her movements somewhat frantic. "Hey."

Rue jolted, surprised. "God, I always forget how quiet you are! You're going to give me a stroke one day."

"No I'm not, I'll probably just give you a heart-attack, that's way more likely," Katniss joked, while dodging a fake lei. "Hey!"

"You deserve that," Rue laughed, continuing with her job.

"You're finished at six-thirty tonight, right?" Katniss asked, placing the lei around her neck.

"Yep," Rue said.

"Wanna come to the hotel tonight for dinner? I promised Madge I'd sing."

A groan bubbled from Rue's chest, "You know I'd love to and I hate it when I miss you singing, but I've got that stupid maths exam to study for."

"Aww, it's okay Rue-Bear," Katniss teased, using Rue's childhood nickname. "There's always tomorrow night or Saturday night even."

"I'll be there both nights. And girl, you need to go, your shift started, what, ten minutes ago?"

"Mr. Blight pushed back his lesson by a half hour, he had an appointment or something, so I don't start for another twenty or so minutes," Katniss' said in sing-song tune.

"Oh, oh no. Uh-uh. You are not staying here and annoying me! I do not get paid nearly enough to deal with your annoying ass harassing me," Rue laughed as she tried to whip Katniss with a fake grass skirt.

"Hey, that's not fair! And by the way Rue-Bear, you don't get paid at all. You're a volunteer, or did you forget?" Katniss teased before dodging another whip in her direction.

"Don't remind me!" Rue feigned hurt before turning back to Katniss. "Now get out of here!"

Katniss let out a full belly laugh, "Okay, okay. I'll go, but I'll meet you and mom out front after six thirty so we can ride home together."

"Sounds good, Kitty! See you."

"Bye!"

* * *

Katniss' arms were swinging by her sides to release all the tension from her sore muscles. A nearly two-hour session of archery lessons will do that to your muscles. She was walking down the corridor of the rec centre with her other best friend, she had just finished her shift and Gale was picking up his little-sister.

Gale and his family were the closest thing to extended family that Katniss had. His parents had grown up with her father, and were there for her and her dad when Lily walked out. Although Gale was two years older than Katniss, he always treated her as an equal… kind of like a sister in Katniss' eyes.

"Again? Are you serious? How…?" Katniss nodded at Gale's bewildered statement.

"I seriously do not know. I mean, you know Finnick, he's crazy, especially when he's surfing. So only he knows how it happened again," Katniss laughed alongside Gale, looking down at the raven-haired girl clutching at his hand. There was a stilted pause in conversation, which was occurring more and more with each of their conversations. Katniss spoke before Gale had the chance. "How was Hula Posy?"

"It was fun! A w-ittle bit hard, but-but Aunty Portia said that I'm the best in class!" The young girl stated with a triumphant smile.

"That's so good to hear! I'm glad you had fun!" Katniss opened her mouth to ask the young girl another question when Gale grabbed her arm to stop their movements, just outside the rec centre front doors.

"Posy, go wait with Rue, okay?" Katniss looked at Gale, suspicion lining her features. Katniss clenched her fists open and closed, her nails biting into her skin. _Please don't ask about-_ "Katniss… about last Saturday night…" _Oh god_ _no_ , "I know we were drunk and all…" _Please just stop_ , "But I think we should really talk about that… kiss."

Katniss buried her head in her hands. "Look Gale, it was a mis-"

"Katniss, please just listen to me. I don-"

"Katniss!" Katniss' head whipped up from her hands to find Rue gesturing for her to come over wildly, a shit-eating grin adorning her features.

"Gale, I've got to go," Katniss threw over her shoulder, hurrying to get to Rue as fast as possible.

"Catnip, wait –" Gale made a move towards her.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Katniss pretty much lunched herself beside Rue, still peeking from under her lashes at Gale. "Hey sis, what's u-"

"Shut up and just look," Rue said, not even glancing at Katniss. Her eyes were riveted to the pathway in front of the rec centre. Katniss dragged her gaze away from Gale's defeated form taking Posy home, to the scene in front of her.

 _Holy shit_. Standing right before Katniss' eyes was the most attractive guy Katniss had ever seen. Blonde curly hair, milky skin, peppered with light freckles, the most amazing smile, and blue eyes. Oh, _his eyes_. The ocean would have been jealous of their clarity.

Katniss' eyes travelled down his bare chest to his well-defined abs- wait. Why was he shirtless? "Rue, why is he shirtless? And wait, is he talking to Haymitch?"

"He was jogging, duh," Rue rolled her eyes. "And yes he's talking to Haymitch."

"Why is he talking to Haymitch?" Katniss wondered. _He seems to know Haymitch awfully well… and I've never seen this guy around town before, I would definitely remember meeting him._

"Ugh, I don't care! And stop distracting me," Rue jested, elbowing Katniss in the side.

"Ow," Katniss grumbled, and when she looked up, their eyes locked.

Blue on silver.

Silver on Blue.

 _Holy shit_.

"Ohmigawd, Katniss! He's looking right at you!" Rue squealed in Katniss' ear.

"I know," Katniss breathed, as the guy bid his farewell to Haymitch and prepped himself to start jogging again. "I mean, whatever. It doesn't matter."

"Oh, shut up Katniss, like you weren't just totally drooling over him," Rue guffawed.

"Drooling over who?" A warm voice came from behind them. Katniss whipped her body around to see Portia digging through her purse, probably looking for car keys.

"No one!?" Katniss exclaimed a little too loudly.

"Ha! No one my ass," Rue said.

"You watch your tone young lady," Portia pointed an accusing finger at Rue.

"Yes mama," Rue mumbled in response. All the while Katniss' eyes were still glued to the blue-eyed boy.

"Let's get you girls home," Portia said, bounding down the front steps of the rec centre and to her car. Katniss was shaken out of her stupor when Rue brushed past her and followed their mother down the steps. With each step she took closer to the car, the more she could feel as if the boy was still watching her.

Katniss looked over her shoulder one last time, just fast enough to catch the boy's eyes flicking away from her and for him to start his jog again.

His eyes were all she thought about that night. Throughout dinner. During her shower. When she was getting ready to go to the Hotel to sing with Madge. And she even thought about them as she drifted to sleep.

A final thought tinkered through Katniss' mind before she fell asleep. _Yeah, I would definitely remember seeing him around…_


	3. Chapter 2

**I'm so overjoyed with all the lovely feedback I'm receiving! It astounds me how many people are enjoying my writing, and I hope that I don't let you down with this chapter. I know that my writing needs some polishing, but bear with me.**

 **So, this chapter was originally only supposed to be Katniss' POV, but I decided to add a little bit of Peeta in as well. Hopefully it flows well with the change! Is that something you guys would be interested in? Changing POV's?**

 **I also realised that I forgot to mention that Katniss is a little bit out of character (OOC). Although her mum left when she was little, she did have her father to support her, and then eventually Portia and Rue entered the picture. I also made her relatively tall, I don't know why, it just suited the story more...?**

* * *

Katniss was running late. Very late.

She pumped her leg again and again, forcing her skateboard to go even faster beneath her. She swerved around rocks and branches, while she swore to herself under her breath.

Mr. Undersee was going to kill her, this was the third time in two weeks that she would be late. To be fair, it's not her fault that the ocean could be so memorizing, or that wearing a wrist-watch was really annoying.

She ran through excuses in her head as to why she could _possibly_ be late again, but her wet hair, and clothes clinging to her damp skin would be indication enough that she just lost track of time. A wave of uneasiness washed over Katniss as she realised that Mr. Undersee would be none too pleased if Katniss used that excuse again.

Katniss was so deep in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the figure jogging in front of her. Almost. She had three options: steer the skateboard into oncoming traffic, or into thick foliage, or crash into the man before her.

"Shit," Katniss said to herself as she steered into the bush. She landed with a thud against a palm tree and then onto the ground, and thankfully her skateboard was caught by a low-lying shrub before it could go any further.

Katniss groaned as she tried to push herself up, she could already feel bruises forming. She went to go and retrieve her skateboard from the shrub, but let out a yelp of pain when she put pressure on her left foot.

"Are you okay?" A soft but firm voice sounded from Katniss' right.

"Just peachy," She managed to get out of clenched teeth.

"Here, let me help." It took one moment for Katniss to register that the person coming towards her was the man that was jogging in front of her, and two moments for her to register that it was the blonde guy who has the ridiculously blue eyes.

"Um, I-I'm okay," Katniss said, her heart starting to pound against her rib-cage. _It was him_. Katniss had spent the last four days convincing herself that she _wasn't_ looking for him wherever she went in town, or that it _hadn't_ taken everything in her power not to go to Haymitch's house and demand he tell her who this guy was.

"Are you sure? You look pretty banged up," He said as he knelt down before her. He was shirtless. Again. It took all of Katniss' will power not to let her eyes travel farther down than his face.

"Yes," Katniss mumbled, her eyes riveted to his. He quirked an eyebrow in question. "I mean, yes you can help me."

"Alright then." He smiled, causing a dimple to form in his right cheek. _Holy fuck_ , Katniss swore to herself. She didn't know guys were even made like that anymore.

Her Saviour, Katniss had officially dubbed him, brushed his golden curls out of his eyes before helping Katniss up. She stumbled a bit on the uneven earth, but Her Saviour caught her, holding her close to his chest.

Katniss was pressed against him, her hands placed gently on his pecs, with his arms wrapped around her waist. He was tall, maybe just over six-foot, and he was so warm… Heat bloomed in Katniss' cheeks.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, their eyes were locked in some sort of challenge, to see who would look away first. Katniss won.

"It's okay, I should have been more gentle," Her Saviour dropped his arms from around her and took a step back to look at her injuries. "Is your ankle okay?"

"It's fine, just a little tender."

"Would you mind try walking on it for me?" He said gently, using his hand to beckon Katniss forward. She couldn't help but follow.

" _Jesus_ -" Katniss swore, biting into her knuckles as pain shot from her ankle up through her leg.

"I'm going to have to carry you." His words were lost to Katniss' ears as she tried to deal with the throbbing pain. Her Saviour swooped her up into his arms, bridal style.

"What are you doing?!" Katniss shrieked, trying not to flail her legs around.

"I'm carrying you, you're not in any condition to walk," He said nonchalantly, like he wasn't a complete stranger.

 _What if he's a serial killer?_ The thought clanged through Katniss' mind. _What if this is his way of claiming his next victim?_

"I can walk just fine. Put me down!" Katniss struggled to get out of his arms. His grip only tightened.

"Look, please don't. I don't want you to get anymore injured than you are, I already feel terrible enough." His words stopped Katniss' thrashing limbs.

"What?" She asked confused.

"I mean -" He blushed, "- if I wasn't in your way, you wouldn't have crashed." Katniss tried to speak but her cut her off, "Or, if I didn't have my headphones in or my music up too loud, I might have heard you and gotten out of your way."

Katniss' scepticisms about his murdering hobbies dissipated. "What? No, if I hadn't been going so fast or at least paid attention, this wouldn't have happened. Please don't blame yourself."

His eyes glowed and appeared to be even more blue, if that was even possible. A twinkle of mischief entered his features as he smiled at her, "Let's just agree to disagree, okay?"

"Okay," Katniss responded, a soft smile consuming her features.

"Where to?" He asked, bending down to pick up her skate board with Katniss still in his arms. Damn he was strong.

"The Recreation Centre. If you know where that is from here?" Katniss queried.

"I do. Well, we should get going, shouldn't we?" Katniss just nodded in response, not noticing how she bit her lip and how Her Saviour's eyes darkened as she did so.

The journey was silent, save for a bit of commentary on the lush scenery from his end. Katniss just made small noises in agreement, too caught up in staring at his long eyelashes and wondering how they don't get tangled together.

All too soon their trek came to an end. Her Saviour placed her gently on the rec centre steps, and Katniss immediately missed his warmth.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern wrinkling his features.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Katniss' voice was so soft, he almost missed it.

"I'm Pe-" A low voice sounded from behind them. Katniss turned around to see Gale stalking towards Katniss and Her Saviour, with a hurried Posy behind him.

"Kat?" Katniss rolled her eyes. "Are you okay? What happened? Who's this?"

"Gale, just shut up," Katniss said, before turning back to Her Saviour. "Thank you so much, you've helped a lot."

A smile blossomed on Her Saviour's face, making that dimple pop up again. "It's okay, really. I needed that extra work out."

Katniss quirked an eyebrow and the man before her sputtered, realising his mistake. "Not-not that you're heavy or anything, you're actually really light, like ridiculously light. I'm so-"

Katniss' twinkling laugh cut him off, "It's alright, I was just joking with you." His shoulders immediately relaxed at Katniss' words.

"Do you need any more help getting home? I'd be more than hap-"

"I've got it from here," Gale stepped up beside Her Saviour, puffy out his head and straightening his spine to look taller.

"Oh. Okay," Her Saviour's eyes flit between Katniss and Gale. Katniss had half to mind to tell Gale to fuck off so she could spend some more time in Her Saviour's arms, but she knew the reasonable option was to let Gale drive her home.

"Thank you. Again," Katniss said to him, their eyes locking as Katniss tried to convey how deep her appreciation was.

"Let's go Kat," Gale said, slinging one of her arms over his shoulder and helping her towards his car.

Katniss turned around to see Her Saviour smile at her one last time before he turned away to walk in the other direction. She tried not to let the disappointment consume her.

"Who the heck was that?!" Gale exclaimed in the car. Katniss was happy that Posy was in the back seat, her presence would refrain Gale from really losing his temper and throwing around some profanities.

"I don't know," Katniss said, her voice even.

"You don't know?!" Gale said incredulously.

"No! I don't know Gale, because you interrupted us before I had the chance to catch his name!" Katniss bit back.

"But he carried you there, isn't that enough time to make introductions?" Katniss fell silent, a blush heating her dark features as she thought about his eyelashes again.

"What even happened anyway? Why can't you walk?" Gale said, more calmly this time.

"I realised I was late for work, so I was going really fast on my skateboard. I wasn't paying attention to what was in front of me, and then he was suddenly there, so I crashed into the bushes." Katniss said, picking at her cuticles.

"Aw! Poor Kitty!" Posy's voice rang from the back seat. Katniss turned to face her, a smile on her face.

"Thanks Rosie Posy, I'm a little bit hurt, but I'll be okay!" Katniss looked up to see Gale with _that look_ on his face again. She swallowed heavily.

"Catnip-" He started.

"Not while Posy is in the car, Gale," Katniss cut him off. Gale just nodded in response, his eyes riveted to the road ahead of him.

Katniss was silent the rest of the ride home. Broken out of her stupor when Posy asked her a question, to which she answered enthusiastically.

Her mind kept drifting back to Her Saviour. His eyes, his hair, _his body_. Katniss couldn't help but think about how easy scooped her up off the ground, and how he was so careful of her ankle.

Shit. Her ankle.

Katniss wouldn't be able to dance tonight. Portia was going to kill her, this was her night off of dance.

"Dammit." Katniss grumbled to herself. Not noticing the longing glances Gale sent her way every couple seconds.

At least now she had a good excuse as to why she would be late for work.

* * *

Peeta hated family holidays. They were always so boring and something _always_ went wrong. Who needs to go to Hawaii for Summer? Definitely not Peeta.

Well, that was a lie. Peeta was excited to go to Hawaii, he'd never been before, and his step mom raved about it all the time.

He'd just never been on a plane. And Peeta hated heights.

Their other family holidays had been limited to road trips to Colorado or to Florida. Squeezed into a car for hours on end with five other people was not Peeta's idea of fun. But, his step mom promised him that it would be fine, that Hawaii was worth the flight.

And it was.

Hawaii was worth it. The lush landscapes, the ocean, the clean air. It was a stark contrast to New York. It was a change Peeta could get used to.

With his two older brothers at home in New York – one still at college making up for some classes that he failed, and the other dealing with a new born – Peeta was alone on this trip, save for his dad, step mom, and his younger half-sister who literally hasn't stopped jumping around since they landed in Hawaii. He could tell that this family holiday was going to be different.

* * *

Undersee's Resort was on the beach front, overlooking the ocean. The hotel was huge. High ceilings, marble floors, and windows everywhere to showcase the stunning scenery. He had no idea how his parents could afford this.

Peeta got his own suite, just across the hall from his parents and sister. He couldn't believe the expanse of the place. The bed was plush and way too big for one person, he could literally go snorkelling in the bath tub, and there was a flat-screen television nearly as big as the wall itself. But what took his breath away was the view of the small town, and at night how the place came alive with light and music.

Hawaii was definitely worth it.

Peeta gripped the railing on his balcony, staring out at the ocean. His mind was consumed with images of the raven-haired girl. Today was the second time he'd seen her this week, and he was just as blown away then as he was the first time.

She was absolutely gorgeous, 'bangin' as his friend David Marvel from home would say. Her eyes were swirling silver, her body was petite, and her waist-length hair was so soft.

And though Peeta was certain that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, she had an air of familiarity around her. Peeta felt like her had seen her before, but that would be impossible, he's certain that her would remember meeting her or at least seeing her in passing.

Peeta was knocked out of his stupor when his father pounded on the suite door, asking him if he was ready to go down for dinner.

"Give me five more minutes!" He responded, pushing off the railing and heading inside to continue getting ready.

He opened his suite door to find his dad, his step mom, and sister lounging in the hall. They all jumped up at the sight of him.

"C'mon, let's go!" Prim, his half-sister chirped.

"Okay Duck, we're coming," Peeta called as Prim raced to the elevator's.

"You look very handsome Peeta," His step mom said as she smoothed out the collar on his shirt.

"Thanks Lily," He could see the flash of hurt in her eyes, it had been years since he had call her 'mom'. She dropped her hands to her sides, before Peeta's dad took one to place in the crook of his elbow.

"Okay Mellark's! It's dinner time," His dad called, leading Lily in the direction of the elevator, where Prim was anxiously waiting.

Peeta followed behind, stuffing his hands in his pockets. His thoughts drifting back to the raven-haired girl.

* * *

The restaurant was half in-door half out-door, glass walls separating the two spaces. But in the middle stood a long stage, musicians and instruments cluttering the space. Undersee's really doesn't spare any expense to make the resort exceptional.

Peeta and his family were situated in the middle, a few rows back from the stage, but still with a great view. His dad, Lily, and Prim ate their dinner happily, talking aimlessly about how great their holiday had been so far. Peeta ate his dinner in silence, happy to listen to his family around him.

The lights around them dimmed until they were off completely, fairy-lights that were strung across the ceiling inside and continued to the patio outside were turned on. Their sudden twinkling causing the other dinner guests to start clapping around them. So Peeta clapped too.

His eyes were then drawn to the stage, where a soft glow started to arise. A figure walked of the front of the stage and gripped the microphone, a smile on her pretty face.

"Good evening everyone, my name is Madge, and I will be playing piano for you this evening." The girl stood and waited for the applause to die down. "Before I begin playing, I do have a quick announcement. If you check your resort agendas-" there was a rustling of paper, "-we were scheduled to have a dance group from the local Recreation Centre to come and preform for us. Unfortunately, the lead dancer is unable to dance tonight due to health issues, so the performance has been postponed. Instead, Katniss will be singing tonight, as I play the piano."

Peeta looked to his right as he heard Lily take in a sharp breath. His dad started rubbing her back and murmuring something under his breath, so only Lily could hear. Peeta glanced at Prim, who's eyes were glued to her mothers with her fork clenched tightly in her left hand.

A familiar voice forced Peeta to bring his gaze to the stage. It was her. The raven-haired girl, sitting on a stool holding the microphone. She wore a sunset coloured dress that fell mid-thigh, and instead of her hair being wound tightly into a braid, it flowed freely down her back.

He had never seen something so beautiful.

"Hello everybody. As Madge said I injured myself this afternoon," Peeta looked down to see her left foot tightly bound in bandages, "so instead of dancing, I will be singing."

Her eyes travelled the room from one end to the other, when she got to Peeta's table, their eyes locked. She blushed and looked down, probably at her ankle.

"Once again," Her raspy voice carried throughout the room, "My name is Katniss, and I will be singing for you this evening."

 _Katniss_. It suited her perfectly.

Music started to flood Peeta's senses, but he kept his eyes on Katniss. Nothing could have prepared him for the moment he opened her mouth to start singing. Peeta felt like someone had just ripped the chair out from under him. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened as Katniss' voice became stronger throughout the song.

People seated at the other tables around him paused their eating and conversations to listen to the ethereal voice coming from the stage. The servers continued to bring out food and drinks, smirks on their faces as they watched the bewitched guests.

The song was far too short for Peeta's liking, he wanted it to go forever. Katniss' voice rang out on the last note, and the silence that encompassed the room when she was finished indicated that the rest of the guests didn't want the song to end either.

Applause sounded about the room, people whistled, and others even stood up. Peeta watched as Katniss did a little bow in her stool, she then motioned towards the girl at the piano who waved her hand in thanks.

"Wasn't she amaz-" The sight of Lily sitting across from Peeta with tears streaming down her face stopped Peeta's train of thought. A sob reverberated from Liliy's chest and she clutched her hand to her face.

Peeta looked at his father who was trying desperately to calm Lily down, once again rubbing soothing circles on her back. Prim glared at the stage, her hands clenching the table before her.

 _What the fuck was happening?_

"Are you guys okay?" Peeta asked, successfully pulling his father and Prim's attention.

"We're fine son. I think I'm going to take Lily to bed now, we'll see you in the morning," His father stood up, gently leading Lily from her chair and to the elevators. "Come along Primrose."

Prim's head whipped towards their father and sneered "What if I don't want to go?"

Their father's forehead crinkled. "Stop that right now young lady, and watch your tone. You better come along right now or there will be consequences."

Peeta's father hardly ever got upset, so it was a surprise to both Prim and Peeta to see him this way.

"Fine," Prim huffed trudging behind them. Peeta was left in the dining room, completely lost with what happened to his family.

The music started again and Katniss' filled the room. Peeta stood from his seat, his eyes on Katniss, he waited until their eyes connected. When they did, he sent her a small nod, to which she returned.

Peeta spun on his heel, and rushed to catch up with his family. Confusion washed around him as he thought of what transpired in the dining room. The elevator ride back to their rooms was tense, a sob from Lily breaking the silence every few moments.

Peeta's eyes travelled her face, taking in her weathered but still beautiful features. The same sense of familiarity filled Peeta's senses and sent his mind reeling.

High, rosy cheekbones, a slender and pert nose, and full lips. Peeta's brain was in over-drive as it put the different bits and pieces together.

Lily's love for Hawaii. Katniss' familiarity. Lily watching Katniss on stage and crying. Their similar features. Peeta gaped at Lily as the information that ran through his mind.

And then it clicked.


End file.
